The present invention relates to a silicon photonic device, and more specifically, to continuous evanescent perturbation gratings in a silicon photonic device.
Light is used as a data carrier in many applications because light can transmit energy over longer distances than other guided wave carriers such as radio frequency (RF) energy, for example. Optical waveguides that guide electromagnetic energy in the optical spectrum (light) have different properties based on factors such as geometry, mode structure, and material. Silicon photonic devices use silicon as the optical medium and are made using semiconductor fabrication techniques. Silicon photonic devices have numerous applications. For example, silicon photonic devices may transmit or filter light. The silicon photonic device may act as a reflector such that, in conjunction with an optical gain region, the silicon photonic device forms a laser cavity to transmit at a controlled optical frequency. The waveguides or silicon photonic devices may be used on the transmit or receive side (or both) of a communication system. Silicon photonic devices may also be used as interconnects and in sensors, for example. A silicon photonic device includes a primary optical waveguide core region in which light is nominally confined. The silicon photonic device also includes evanescent wave regions proximate to the primary optical waveguide core that define the overall function of the device.